The woman had no trouble passing the security checkpoint.

Just like that, Mordret entered the stronghold of the great and powerful clan Valor.

His birthplace.

It felt fascinating to come back here. Mordret did not exactly consider this place his home, but he remembered it well. Not from when he had lived here during early childhood, but from the time he spent here right after coming back from the Dream Realm.

He had been twelve... or was it thirteen?... and already an Awakened. Reaching Bastion first, and then coming to this beautiful place. Everything in the waking world had felt soft, but his return... Was not at all like he had imagined.

As memories flashed in his mind, Mordret felt a dark, suffocating emotion rise from the depths of his soul. © 2024.

'Now is not the time.'

Infiltrating the stronghold was already a risk. He could not allow himself to act rashly... his family were no fools. They had safeguards in place to detect him, and it had taken a lot of effort to make this moment possible.

If there was one thing Mordret was good at, it was remaining cold and calculating.

So, no matter how much he wanted to let go, he had to hold himself back.

These people were not his enemies, anyway. They were just servants... the masters were safely hidden away behind much more impenetrable defenses.

The child and the woman he had been observing for the past couple of weeks were not random people, of course. They were the son and the wife of an Awakened retainer of the great clan Valor. Usually, a family like that would have resided within the fortress itself, but with the warrior spending most of his time in the Dream Realm, the woman wanted to live closer to her family.

That was a vulnerability which Mordret had planned to exploit.

And now, he was inside the complex, hiding in the woman's eyes as she hurried to meet her husband.

She seemed to be familiar with the compound, easily navigating between the multitude of buildings, training grounds, and parks. The stronghold was perfectly maintained, picturesque, and tranquil... at least on the surface.

Behind the beautiful facade, however, hid explosive tension.

The great clan Valor was preparing for war.

The woman did not seem worried about that. All she worried about was her husband.

Mordret was touched.

'Love for her child, love for her partner... she is just full of affection, without a second thought. How peculiar.'

After spending some time with this family, he couldn't help but feel a little attached.

Eventually, the woman made her way to a particular building. There, rows of sleeping pods were stationed in heavily defended rooms. There were some living quarters, as well, and that was where her husband was waiting.

Upon seeing him, she beamed with joy. A bright smile appeared on the man's face, too.

"You're here!"

Without wasting any time, they embraced.

The husband seemed like a nice enough fellow, if a little too earnest. As an Awakened serving the great clan Valor, he had a lot of privileges, but also a lot of duties. Awakened retainers had to spend long months in the Dream Realm, protecting Bastion or one of the other Citadels under Valor's control. Sometimes, they were sent on dangerous missions.

Sometimes, they did not return.

Even though these were some of the best fighters of the human race, the Dream Realm was the Dream Realm. No one was safe there, least of all mere Awakened.

It was not a surprise that the woman's life was full of fear and worry.

'Poor thing...'

Their reunion was sweet, but sadly brief. Even though the Awakened had just returned to the waking world, he was not coming home. Instead, he was preparing to embark on a new mission.

Mordret listened with a faint smile.

"...it is a great honor. And opportunity, of course. Saint Madoc himself is coming with us. Even Lady Morgan will be there... if I can distinguish myself in front of them, then even receiving the support of the elders to become a Knight won't be out of the question! You know that I am well-respected among the men... all I need is one last push. Can you imagine how our lives will change if I Ascend? I won't be gone that often, too..."

The woman smiled, but Mordret could feel her apprehension.

She hid it well, though, not wanting to burden her husband.

"Of course... of course. Just... be careful, okay? I hear terrible things about Antarctica."

The man smiled.

"Why are you comparing us to those pitiful dogs? The people serving the government can barely be called Awakened. But we are the warriors of Valor."

Mordret was delighted.

He had thought that he would have to jump between dozens of people to find someone assigned to the Southern Quadrant expedition force. How lucky was he to stumble on a suitable person so soon?

From the son, to the mother, to the father... it was so quick.

The Awakened and his wife talked, expressing their affection for each other. But then, inevitably, they had to part ways.

When the beautiful woman left to return to her child, Mordret remained in the man's eyes.

He was going to Antarctica.

For the next several weeks, he remained hidden in the Awakened warrior's eyes, perceiving the world through them. He trained. He prepared. He thought about his wife and his son.

Slowly but surely, the expedition force was gathered and readied itself to go to war. The summer ended, and autumn embraced the world.

The man was excited, but also nervous. He steeled himself to what was about to come.

Mordret did, too.

On the day when they were supposed to embark on the journey across the ocean, he prayed to the dead gods. Then, knowing that there might not be an opportunity to do so later, he sent a sweet message to his wife.

Finally, he saluted Saint Gilead, the Summer Knight, and followed the noble Transcendent onto a ship.

'This man has a beautiful wife, and a cute son. He truly is fortunate.'

Mordret remembered the days he had lived in the Awakened warrior's home with fondness.

...On the first night at sea, he snuffed out the man's soul, and took his place.